The present invention relates to a means and method for positioning and installing bases at various locations on a baseball or softball field, and, more specifically, to a base anchor peg and setting tool therefor and means of use thereof.
Due to rising property costs, only a limited amount of land is being newly made available for leisure activities such as baseball and softball, and many existing baseball and softball fields are being converted to other uses. Consequently, the need exists to efficiently utilize those remaining land areas that are presently devoted to baseball and softball fields. Since the ages and skill levels of the various individuals desiring to use any given baseball or softball field may vary over a wide range, the efficient utilization of such field requires that the field be adaptable for different field layouts, including different separations of bases, for different groups of users. In many sports complexes, as many as seven (7) different base positioning arrangements per field may be required in order to properly and effectively accommodate the different ages and skill levels of the players who use such field.
In light of the obvious need to be able to modify field set-ups for different levels of play, to be able to make such modifications by movement of the bases, and to be able to effect such modifications in a minimal amount of time, it has been found advisable and desirable to have permanent or semi-permanent base positioning means installed at various locations on a field. Such installations provide a groundskeeper with the ability to quickly and easily set bases at initial field positions appropriate to a first condition of play, and to subsequently quickly and easily remove such bases and reset them at other positions appropriate to different conditions of play. One such base positioning means that has gained relatively wide acceptance includes a base anchoring device, such as a peg or socket member, embedded in concrete which is set into the ground below the surface thereof, which peg or socket member is complementarily engageable with stud members associated with or forming a part of the undersides of the bases. In practice, the installation of such a base positioning means is typically effected, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,508,747, by digging a hole at a desired base location, filling the hole to just below ground level with concrete, and inserting a base peg member into the concrete so that the concrete will harden and hold such peg member. While the noted base positioning means has been found to work reasonably well, certain difficulties and disadvantages attendant to the use thereof have limited the value thereof. In this regard, it has been found that a great deal of time is required to install a plurality of such base positioning means at desired locations, especially when a field must accommodate a number of different field set-ups. Also, the proper alignment of the base anchoring device within the concrete as it hardens is somewhat difficult to maintain, the field must be taken out of use for a significant amount of time to permit the concrete to harden, removal and resetting of the base positioning installation is difficult and time consuming if the initial set-up is erroneous or needs to be changed or removed for other reasons, and the installation and removal procedures often mar the ground around the installation site, thereby interfering with normal field usage and often necessitating additional ground maintenance to return the field to playing condition.